Wanda

This author has written 90 articles

No More To Do Lists!

I am a list maker. Year-round I have my paper lists, Google Keep, various notebooks, Google Docs, and Evernote notes. This time of year I have lots of company as many I know are constructing lists resolutions for the new year.

Anyone who still uses Apple Stickies (or post-it notes stuck all over their computer) should really look at Keep. I think you would really like it.

Lists help me remember all the things I must do, need to do, and want to do. As I mark items off my lists, new items take their place. The order of priority often shifts (Keep makes this easy) and it used to depress me that the lists never got shorter. There needed to be an end, right? I’ve decided the answer to that question is “NO!” Not just because I have difficulty saying no and, in turn, frequently over-extend myself but because these lists are the action plan of my life.

action-blocks-logoThis year lists will certainly be a part my workflow but I am going to approach them more as action plans – little blueprints to guide my journey through the year. My personal action plan as I attempt to maintain good physical and mental health and connect more deeply with family and friends. My graduate school action plan as I work toward finalizing my dissertation proposal. My work action plan as I help our new school district continue Google Apps for Ed implementation and look toward the birth of a new middle school / high school. My PLE action plan as I continue to build to and interact with my PLN, explore topics of interest (like coding, design thinking, learning spaces, informal PD, and more), and step out of my comfort zone to present at more conferences. My GCT action plan as I work toward completing my Google Certified Teacher Innovation Plan.

I challenge you to think of your to do lists and lists of resolutions as your action plans for the coming year. Let them guide you into making things happen!

 

Site Design

As I continue to tweak this new website, here are some elements of the design I am settling upon.

I am using a self-hosted WordPress installation on HostGator (this is an affiliate link).

The theme is my own theme using Headway as the base. I find this framework easy to work with even though I am comfortable digging into the CSS manually.

Here are the colors and fonts you will spot here and there:

site design

Google Color Palette

When assembling training materials for Google workshops, it is important to use the correct shades of blue, red, yellow, and green, not to mention the grays. The image below was made in Google Draw and includes the HEX and RGB codes for the official Google color palette as provided in the presentation template for Google Education Trainers.

Google-color-palette

 

Want the Google Draw file? Grab a copy here.

Why Prezi makes you dizzy and how to fix it

This post takes a helpful look at how to approach panning when using Prezi. Getting users (including myself) to make decisions about panning should go beyond just making cool movements. Every decision should play a part in the final goal of presenting the information in a way that a lasting impact is made on the audience.

Remove Birthdays from Google Calendar

I like wishing people “Happy Birthday” but I follow lots of folks and so their birthdays can clog up my Google Calendar. If you are in the same boat, here is how to get those birthdays off of your Google Calendar.

No Such Thing as a New Idea

“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.” – Mark Twain

Time to Shift

I came across this quote while doing some research for my dissertation proposal.

“In the 21st century, what it means to ‘be a teacher’ is shifting alongside the technological landscape, which requires a shift in teacher education and professional development approaches.” – Elizabeth C. Homan

Quote by Liz Homan

Lighting The Fire

Why Another Site?

Those in my PLN know I have authored several websites over the years. I have a poor track record of maintenance and this one is likely to follow the same path but I’m giving it a go regardless. While it lives it will serve as an online home base for an assortment of items.

I have a very active presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ and will highlight the favorites I share there on this website as well. As opposed to past blogs I’ve launched, my goal is to not share a resource unless I actually provide additional commentary which could range from information about how I personally use the resource, how some of my teachers or friends use it, or even just some ideas I might have for utilizing the tool.

I am currently pursuing my EdD at The University of Memphis, focusing on Instructional Design and Technology, so expect posts related to that along with items related to the topic of my dissertation.

As the Instructional Technology Specialist for the Lakeland School School System (Lakeland, TN) I am gaining much new experience and will share that here for those who may benefit from my mistakes and successes. We currently have one school in the new municipal school district, Lakeland Elementary, but are in the very early stages of planning a middle/high school, Lakeland Prep. I have learned so much this year about all things related to elementary education and will use this blog to reflect and share on those experiences. We have chosen to go Google Apps for Education in our new district so you will get some GAFE reflections as well.

Speaking of Googley stuff, I recently returned from the Google Teacher Academy (Austin, TX) and may finally have a minute to share some reflections and experiences related to #GTAATX and that is REALLY how this blog idea came into being. The last several year as I have moved from novice Google Apps user into Google Educator, Google Education Trainer, and now Google Certified Teacher and GAFE Administrator of our district domain, I have learned so much. I am usually crazy busy and have used that as an excuse to not reflect on the experience. After #GTAATX I know that is not acceptable. I will always have more to learn but I have learned so much from so many great people, it is my responsibility to share what I know and so I shall.

For those who followed previous blogs I authored, expect to see some of those resources revisited here, with updates. Those items will serve as kindling for this new bonfire I am setting alight. If you do take a spark and spread the light of eduGoodness, please let me know. I would love to have other authors on this site sharing similar content especially anything that was given fuel from a post of mine.

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